Thursday, April 21, 2011

Happy Spring Holidays to all, whatever you celebrate. I’m happy to give you an update about the Piza Family Tree project.

As most know, the family has several lovely family trees, all created in the last century. This year, the decision was made to update one of them to include our youngest generations. Seventeen families responded to the first call to participate and our graphic artist is adding their names, their children and their grandchildren. Based on the family information we have today, three branches of Piza children will see additions: Benvanida, Esther, and Rachel.

To enable more families to participate, our extended deadline for additions is now May 15th. Anyone interested in adding names and/or purchasing a printed or digital copy of the updated family tree, must let us know asap! Your email should be sent to our family genealogist, Sita (sita@likuski.org). If you're not sure what's already on the tree, you can contact Sita about that, too.
The more people who purchase a copy, the cheaper each copy will be. I know people are anxious for a price, but until the graphic artist finishes the work I won’t have one. I can already be sure, however, that it will be very reasonable.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Most of us, when thinking of Aruba, imagine a tropical island paradise; even the name sounds delicious.Indeed, the “Official Tourism Website of Aruba” displays a rather scantily clad gent on a lovely beach, while several hefty (but scantily clad) women advertise a carnival. There’s also a woman snorkeling who appears to have lost part of her bathing suit…. (If you really want to see those photos firsthand, click here). Wikipedia (I know, they do make mistakes) describes Aruba as an arid, cactus-strewn landscape rather than a tropical paradise.The only naked creatures they have photographs of are iguanas. So, ultimately, my impression of Aruba is of a mysterious desert surrounded by wonderful beaches. (Been there, seen that?Give us your 2 cents in a comment!)

But what if you seek our family lore, rather than a suntan?Roy Maduro, an Aruba native and proud family member, was happy to educate me on our family origins in Aruba; we’ve been on the island since 1754. At that time, Moses Maduro and his brother were the first white inhabitants of Aruba.According to Roy, they had large families, most of which converted to Christianity; very few bothered to document their history so we don’t have many details. Roy’s father moved to Aruba from Curacao in 1937 to work.Roy’s mother came from another Caribbean island called Saba.In 1944 they married and started Roy’s Maduro line.

According to my research, Aruban citizens hold Dutch passports, which perhaps hints at the link between the Dutch Maduro lineage and the Aruban Maduro families. Certainly the Dutch Maduro line, descents of Jewish refugees from the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal, settled widely throughout the Caribbean.

Rather than crediting the old-time Maduro families or today’s semi-naked Arubans with bringing culture to the island, Roy points a grateful finger at the Standard Oil Company, who set up a refinery on Aruba in 1924, setting the tone for a booming economy and cultural development. Having grown up in California, it’s hard for me to equate an oil company with culture but I think we’ll take Roy’s word about this.

Have you been to Aruba?Send me the photos you think best represent the island (WITH clothes, please!) and I’ll add them to this post.Email for photos – cec235@hotmail.com

And thank you, Roy, for sharing your history and Aruba’s past with us!

Photgraph of Aruba, taken this year by Grace Maduro, and provided in response to my request.... Thank you Grace!

Births, Deaths, & Family Events

Sally Oberstein Richter, the daughter of Elizabeth van Daelen Oberstein and Samson Oberstein (from Rotterdam who immigrated to New York), died on December 16th, 2010 at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington. She was 91 years old. Her husband, Henry Richter and son, Barry George Richter predeceased her. Notice submitted January 1, 2011, by her daughter Elizabeth Richter of Alexandria, Virginia.

Coming Next: Family Artists!

Thanks to the family members who stepped up and presented themselves and their art. Look for their spotlight in a few scant weeks...

Do you have a story to share?Family news, history, family events and photos.... email me at cec235@hotmail.com if you'd like me to post it on Maduro-Delvalle news. (Only appropriate content will be accepted.)